(1) Field of the Invention
Small boats operated for pleasure are typically transported on a trailer, often called a “boat trailer”, while hitched to a towing vehicle, to the location near the water where the boat will be placed in the water. At developed locations, there is a sloping, paved ramp into the water where the trailer, still hitched to the rear of the owner's vehicle, can be backed into the water and the boat released from the trailer to then float on the water at the base of the ramp.
During this process, the rear of the boat trailer is partially submerged in the water before the boat is released from the trailer. Since highway vehicle codes require that the boat trailer have tail lights and brake lights for the highway, the tail lights are typically submerged when the boat trailer is partially in the water.
Boat trailer lights run off direct current from the towing vehicle and the wires are typically not waterproof, nor is the connection to the lights, nor are the trailer lamps waterproofed. Thus, when an unaware vehicle operator backs into the water, and the backup lights are lit per the vehicle code, they oftentimes short circuit and blow out the lamps.
The present invention provides a convenient device and method to remove the boat tail light prior to being submerged and for convenient re-placement on exit from the water. Thus, the invention avoids short circuits and lamp blow-outs, while conforming with all applicable vehicle codes on the highway.
(2) Description of Related Art Including Information Disclosed Under 37 CFR 1.97 and 1.98
The problem referred to, above has had a number of patented solutions to enable the mounted tail lights to be waterproofed in some way. The principal problem solution has been to use a sealed boat trailer tail light unit that is submersible. U.S. Pat. No. 5,508,894 “Boat Trailer Light Assembly”, issued Apr. 16, 1996 is typical of the prior art where the unit is basically waterproofed such that it can be submerged and still survive for re-use. The disclosure for this patent shows a vehicular submersible lamp assembly with a sealed external housing protecting the internal lamp bulbs and connected with a sealed electrical connection.
Another submersible lamp is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,273,588, issued on Aug. 14, 2001, to Richard Arakelian. This patent discloses a sealed housing for the lamps with a waterproofed electrical connection.
There is also a removable light disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,073, “Boat Trailer Lighting System”, issued Nov. 9, 1999. This patent discloses a removable light with a special bracket, bolted onto an outboard motor when the boat and motor are on the boat trailer. The special bracket and the attached light can then be removed before the boat trailer is submerged in the water. The outboard bracket is then re-installed on exit from the water with the boat. This approach only works with outboard motors and the removable light would not be useable without the boat on the trailer. However, the boat trailer has standard wired tail/brake lights which are not removable and thus have the same problem that the present invention solves.